The present invention concerns curling irons, particularly Marcel-type curling iron and stoves for heating Marcel-type curling irons.
Curling irons have been around for a long time. Marcel-type, or Marcel, curling irons were invented and later patented by Francois Rene Marcel in 1927. U.S. Pat. No. 1,622,834, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes the basic structure and workings of original Marcel curling irons. In particular, these type curling irons include a long tubular curling barrel (or rod) and an equally long concave hair clamp which pivot around a common point, like scissors. The curling barrel and the hair clamp are each attached to a corresponding handle. A freely rotatable, hard plastic tube covers each handle, providing some insulation from heat and facilitating use of the curling iron. Use of this curling iron entails heating both its curling barrel and its hair clamp in or on a stove, then inserting a section of hair between the heated barrel and clamp, and finally turning or twisting the curling iron to form a desired curl or wave.
Perhaps as a testament to its excellent design, little has changed about the Marcel curling iron in the over 70 years since its patenting in 1927. Today""s Marcel curling irons follow the same basic structure and workings of the original Marcel, down even to the rotatable handle covers. One apparent innovation seems to have been the introduction of a wide selection of curling barrel diameters and shapes, or cross-sections to make smaller or larger curls and waves. For example, Kizure(trademark) Products of Compton, Calif. sells Marcel curling irons with C-shaped cross-sections and with fixed barrel diameters of one-eighth, one-quarter, three-eighths, five-eighths, three-quarters, up to about one and a half or two inches. The length of the curling barrel and hair clamp, however, have remained relatively fixed in the five-to-seven-inch range, providing users with options to treat both wide and narrow sections of hair with the same iron.
Despite the longevity and popularity of the Marcel design, the present inventor, a professional hair stylist for 20 years, has pin pointed at least three shortcomings. First, the curling barrel (and clamp) of conventional Marcel curling irons are too long for many applications, such as making spiral curls starting at the nape area of clients. Using the conventional five-to-seven-inch-long curling barrel in this area often leads many stylists to burn their clients or to form inferior spiral curls. Second, the hair clamps of conventional Marcel curling irons typically have a square edge, which ultimately leaves undesirable creases or crimps in resulting curls or waves. And third, the rotatable hard plastic tube covering each handle gets hot and is uncomfortable for extended professional use.
Accordingly, there is a need for better performing Marcel curling irons.
To address this and other needs, the present inventor has devised several improvements to Marcel curling irons. An exemplary embodiment incorporating her improvements features a substantially shorter curling barrel and hair clamp for reducing burn risk and improving curl control, rounded edges on the hair clamp for making smoother curls, and freely rotatable handle covers having one or more finger-notches or openings for greater user comfort.
A second aspect of the invention concerns sets, or ensembles, of Marcel curling iron based on length. For example, one exemplary ensemble provides a curling-iron set including a long, or conventional-length, Marcel curling iron and a 50-percent shorter, Marcel curling iron. Other exemplary ensembles include long-, medium-, and short-barrel Marcel curling irons of the same or different diameters. Thus, in contrast to conventional ensembles which only provide curling irons of variant curling barrel diameters and relatively fixed length, the invention provides ensembles including curling barrels of varying lengths, thereby expanding the tool set available to stylists, particularly professional stylists.
A third aspect of the invention is a stove for two or more curling irons of substantially different length. An exemplary stove, in accord with this aspect of the invention, includes at least two chambers, with one having a depth for receiving a conventional (long) curling barrel and the second chamber having a depth approximately one half that of the first chamber for receiving a shorter curling barrel. (In some embodiments, the chambers are the same actual depth, but one has a false bottom or other barrel support structure for changing its effective depth.) The exemplary stove also includes a detachable rack for one or more curling irons and a partially detachable case convenient for traveling.